The Republican Lt. Governor of Texas threatened to use the "nuclear option" to ram his tax bill through the Republican-controlled Texas legislature, The Texas Tribunereported Friday.
"The public doesn’t care about our procedural rules," Gov. Dan Patrick said. "They want tax relief and they deserve it."
"For months, Patrick and his lieutenants have struggled to pass Senate Bill 2, a sweeping reform measure that would require cities, counties and school districts to seek voter approval for any tax levy increases of more than 2.5 percent in a given year, not including new growth," The Tribune explained. "Needing 19 votes to bring the measure to the floor, and having, he said, 18 of 19 Republican votes in the upper chamber, Patrick had to watch the bill stall for more than two months after it was filed."
In Texas, the lieutenant governor presides over the state Senate.
“I respect our Senate rules, but I do not intend to let a procedural motion stop the Senate from passing this important bill. If using the so-called ‘nuclear option’ is the only choice left to me to pass meaningful and lasting property tax reform and relief on Monday, as Lt. Governor I will lead as the public expects me to lead and exercise that option,” Patrick said.
Read the full report.